Black Listing IP addresses in Dolphin 7

In today’s article, I am going to show you how to use the IP blocking functionality built into Dolphin 7. We will start by logging into the Dolphin admin area. Then select “Advanced Settings” under the settings sub-menu. Now click the “Security” tab.

Security settings in Dolphin 7

Under the “Security” section of “Advanced Settings” there are 3 settings we need to adjust to control the IP blocking functionality. First, place a check mark beside “When a member login into dolphin that the IP address from that person will be saved into the database”.

Next, we need to choose if we would like to block users from just logging in or block them from the site completely. In this example we are going to block them completely so we’ll place a “1” in the “IP Blacklist system mode” blank.

Finally, we need to select to only block the members who are blacklisted. To achieve this, place a “1” in the “IP List Type” blank.

Black listing options

Now click “Save” at the bottom of the screen.

We are now ready to add IP addresses to our deny list. Click “IP Blacklist” under the “Tools” heading on the left side menu. From this screen we are able to block a range of IPs or a single IP. If you wish to block a single IP you would enter it in the “From” and the “To” blank. Now change the “IP Role” to “Deny”. Next select an expiration date. This is the date that the IP will cease to be blocked. Finally add a description of why you are blocking the IP. When everything is correct, click “Apply” at the bottom of the block.

Adding an IP to block

That’s it! Now the owner of that IP address won’t be able to either access the site, or login, depending on which option you chose in the previous step. This is a valuable tool in stopping spammers or other unwanted visitors to your site.